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A Northland expert in mental health said the use of synthetic drugs is a bigger problem than most people think.

"I get more calls on synthetic drugs than all other illicit drugs combined, other than marijuana," said Vicky Ward of Tri-County Mental Health.

Synthetic drugs started showing up several years ago. One of the first was a synthetic form of marijuana that has since been banned in Missouri and Kansas. Drug agents said they've since started seeing the synthetic LSD show up.

Law enforcement chemists spend a lot of time trying to check the makeup of synthetic drugs. Investigators said dealers will sometimes lace synthetic drugs with some hard stuff.

"While drugs are bad, you don't know what you're getting in a synthetic," said Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen. "You just don't know in these homemade manufactured drugs, and they're killing our children."

Student Jordan Elder of Park Hill High School said synthetic drugs may be popular because students don't consider the consequences.

"I think it's growing everywhere it's just becoming one of those things that teenagers think is fun at the moment because they're only realizing what's happening as it's happening," Elder said. "They don't realize it's going to affect them later in life."

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said dealers try to create something that's not on the controlled substance list.

He said the chemical components of the synthetic LSD in the Meeks case were not banned at the time. He said it's difficult for police to keep up with the growing number of synthetic drugs.

"There are other compounds that are very similar to these compounds that do have legitimate purposes," he said.

Police said the synthetic LSD in the Meeks case came from an operation in Kansas City, Kan. When police raided the site, they found 1,800 doses.